Hard Landscaping · 15 October 2026 · 5 min read

Choosing a Garden Fence and Getting the Posts Right

A fence is only as good as its posts. Most fences that lean, rock or collapse in the first big autumn gale fail at the base, not in the panels. This guide covers choosing a fence style, how deep to set the posts, and the checks to make before you start.

Check the boundary first

Before spending anything, work out whose fence it is. Your deeds or title plan may say, but "T" marks on plans are often unreliable and many properties have no clear statement. In practice it is often assumed that the owner is the person whose side the fence posts and rails face, but that is just a rule of thumb, not law. Speak to your neighbour early. Agreeing a plan before you start is far cheaper than a dispute afterwards.

In England, planning permission is generally not needed for a fence up to 2 metres high, or up to 1 metre next to a road or footpath used by traffic, but there are exceptions. Properties in conservation areas, listed buildings, and homes where permitted development rights have been removed may need permission, and some estates have covenants on fence types. Check with your local planning authority if in doubt.

Common fence types

• Lap panels (overlap panels). The cheapest option. Thin overlapping horizontal slats in a frame. They are perfectly fine in sheltered gardens but flex in wind and tend to have a shorter life.
• Closeboard (featheredge). Vertical boards overlapped on site onto horizontal rails. Stronger and longer lasting and can be repaired board by board, but it costs more in materials and labour.
• Hit-and-miss or slatted panels. Boards alternate on each side, letting wind pass through. In exposed gardens like those near the coast, this reduces the sail effect a solid fence has in a gale, though you lose some privacy.
• Picket and post-and-rail. Decorative or stock-proofing rather than privacy.
• Metal and composite. Longer lasting, less maintenance, a higher upfront cost.

In windy, exposed spots, which includes much of the Lancashire coast, it is often worth spending more on the posts and choosing a design that lets some wind through.

Timber and treatment

Timber for anything in ground contact should be pressure-treated to a use class suitable for ground contact (often labelled UC4), not just dip-treated. Cut ends should be treated with a preservative. Gravel boards, which are a rot-resistant board along the base, keep the panels out of damp soil and are much cheaper to replace than a whole panel.

How deep should fence posts go?

A good rule of thumb is that around a third of the post's length should be below ground. For a 1.8 m (6 ft) high fence, which is the typical height for garden privacy, that means using 2.4 m posts, and setting them roughly 600 mm into the ground, leaving about 1.8 m above. In windy areas, soft ground or for taller fences, go deeper, or use longer posts.

Hole size also matters. Dig the holes roughly three times the width of the post, for example about 300 mm square for a 100 mm post. A narrow hole leaves too little concrete around the post to resist the wind.

Setting the posts

1. Mark out the line with string and pegs, and measure the spacing. Panels are normally 1.83 m (6 ft) wide, and the post centres are usually set at slightly over that, so measure to your specific panels.
2. Dig each hole to the depth you decided on. Check for services such as pipes and cables first.
3. Add a base. A 100 mm layer of gravel in the bottom of the hole helps drainage and stops the post sitting in water.
4. Position the first post, check it is plumb in both directions with a spirit level, and brace it with a timber on either side.
5. Fill with a fast-setting post mix or a regular concrete mix, tamping it down to remove air. Slope the surface of the concrete away from the post at the top so water runs off rather than collecting around the timber.
6. Check again and leave it to set as per the product instructions before attaching panels. Rushing this is the most common error.
7. Attach the panel, working along the line, checking the level with each panel.

Concrete, timber or concrete spurs

• Timber posts set in concrete are the usual choice, but the timber can rot where it meets the concrete and the ground over time.
• Concrete posts with slotted grooves, used with gravel boards, last much longer, are heavy to handle and cost more but are a sensible choice for a long-term fence in exposed gardens.
• Metal post supports that bolt to the ground or are driven in are a good choice in some soils, and they keep the timber out of the ground, though they must be properly installed and suitable for the fence height. Check the manufacturer's guidance, especially for windy sites.

Consider the slope

On sloping ground, step the panels down in stages rather than angling them, unless the fence is designed for that. This keeps joints neat and gives a more robust result.

Maintenance

Treat timber fences with a suitable preservative or stain every couple of years. Make sure plants and soil are not piled against the base, as moisture speeds up rot. After storms, check for loose posts early, because it is easier to fix one post than a row.

Cost control

Spend your money on posts and gravel boards first, because those are the parts that fail. A cheap panel on a good post can be replaced in an afternoon, while a good panel on a poor post is a repeat job.

When to call a professional

A short fence on level ground is a reasonable DIY job for a competent person. Long runs, very tall fences, steep slopes, retaining walls, and boundary disputes are best handled by an experienced fencer or landscaper. Using one also avoids having to hire heavy tools for a one-off job.

Quick recap

• Check ownership and planning first.
• Choose the style with wind in mind.
• Use ground-contact treated timber, concrete posts or metal supports.
• Set posts roughly a third of their length into the ground, in concrete, with a gravel base.
• Use gravel boards to protect panels.

Fencing goes well with a bit of planning for what grows alongside it. A hedge is a lower-maintenance and wildlife-friendly alternative in some places, and our guide to planting bare-root hedging explains how.